The Game Changer

Malaysian student Indrani Kopal is taking the world of student filmmaking by storm with her documentary The Game Changer. The film, which follows Susan Slotnick on her weekly visits to the Woodbourne Correctional Facility where she teaches dance, recently won Emerging Filmmaker Best Student Documentary at Cannes.

I reached out to Indrani days after she returned from her amazing trip to France asking her to share some of her experience.


Did you see any celebrities while you were attending the Cannes Film Festival?
                Who were you most excited to see?
                Did you talk to any of them?
                Which celebrity do you think was best dressed?

I attended a panel talk by Salma Hayek, where she talked about her role in director Matteo Garrone’s “The Tale of Tales” and Kahlil Gibran's “The Prophet” that was produced by Salma herself. Just seeing her that close and hearing her passion though her speech, was thrilling for me to see an actress whom I adore a lot, in an ordinary setting like that.

There weren't any distinctions whatsoever between the industry people and the "celebrities" when you mingle and network at a business level. For some strange reason, the grandeur and the glamour of the festival made whoever attended it seem like celebrity themselves, and celebrities seemed like any ordinary people; I liked that experience.

After 5 p.m. almost every day during the festival, the streets near Palaise De Festival, where the majestic Grand Lumière Théâtre is located, gets into a red carpet frenzy. Literally everyone you see on the streets would be all dressed up - what a treat that was to see gorgeous and beautiful people everywhere.

What did you wear? Did you have a difficult time choosing what to wear?

I was there for almost two weeks, mostly dressed casual during the day, but I did bring some beautiful sarees and dressed for the evening screenings and outings. A designer friend of mine, Maaya Prakash who is set to launch her own line of sarees in NYC, helped to design a couple of sarees for Cannes. I wore one of them on the red carpet, and I also did a special photoshoot to thank her, it was a very beautiful piece, definitely one of the best in my saree collection.


The guideline that all women attending the festival had to wear high heels made news headlines, were there any other guidelines you had to follow? Do you have any thoughts about these guidelines?

I did notice that these guideline were mostly ignored by the French themselves. I was surprise to notice how casual and laidback most French women were during the red carpet screening. Foreigners are the ones seem to take these guidelines seriously. As for me, I love dressing up and I do love wearing heels for special occasions, so, they didn’t bother me. I was comfortable. However, heels are not the only formal footwear and it should not be imposed on women who not comfortable wearing them. That's completely inappropriate.

Did you get to do any sight-seeing while you were traveling?
                Where did you go?
                What did you see?
                Where would you like to visit again?

This is my first Europe trip, believe it or not, many asked me to visit Paris, but I was so busy with the festival, there was no time to go anywhere really. But I did visit an old medieval village called Mougins; it was a little charming village, only 15-min away from Cannes. Pablo Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life living in here. It was little “touristy” for me. But, for art lovers, it’s a heaven. In the narrow streets of Mougins, you will find so many tiny little art studios and galleries and the town's open-air exhibition of sculptures are pretty phenomenal. A must visit if you are in Cannes.


What was the first thought in your mind when you won the award?

I've been to almost over ten festivals, but I have never seen the kind of work I saw at Cannes. Even the student films were incredibly well done with nice budget and crew, so, I didn’t at all expect "The Game Changer" to win. So, I was really shocked and had my "Oscar" moment and pinched myself, hahaha. It was so funny!


If you could make a documentary about anything, what would you choose?

Not only that I could, I will and going to make a documentary about women, menstruation and the cultures & rituals around it - across the globe.

Guest Blogger: Lauren Krampen, Graduate Student Coordinator, International Student Affairs
M.S. Ed. Candidate 2017

2015 Fall Festival – Parade of Floats Theme Announced!

Hofstra’s 2015 Fall Festival, Parade of Floats theme has been decided by student voting as Superheroes and Villains.  This year’s other two theme finalists were: Decades and Hofstra Helps (service-themed floats).  Students were able to vote by visiting the Student Life Facebook Page and “like”ing their favorite theme.  This year’s voting tallied over 497 votes and with Superheroes and Villains winning in a landslide.

 

Hofstra’s Fall Festival will be held Friday through Sunday, September 25-27, 2015 with the Parade of Floats, Vibe Live concert and carnival, and a comedy performance on Saturday, September 26, 2015 in addition to numerous alumni and family events. Keep an eye out for email and social media updates throughout the summer, and be sure to check the Fall Festival Website for more information.

Holi – The Indian Festival of Colors

“Diversity” is something that Hofstra welcomes and the students enjoy and appreciate. With students from almost every part of the world, Hofstra makes sure to keep its students connected to their culture so they never feel home-sick. By celebrating various festivals of different nations, students can make another home-away-from-home and enjoy different cultures apart from their own culture; hence allowing them get involved in things outside of their academics.

Colors, music, food, love, forgiveness, smiles, joys, fun and enjoyment are the words that describe this amazing Indian festival “Holi.” At this event, participants are given packets of different color powders that they can throw at each other. Imagine a water balloon fight, but instead of getting wet, you are doused with amazing array of colors.

This year’s Holi was organized by Zarb South Asian Student Association and Hofstra Indian Student Association on April 26 at the Hofstra Intramural Field. There was free Indian food for lunch that allowed students to tantalize their taste buds, especially for Indian students who had been craving for good Indian food for long time. The Indian DJ was an add-on at this event as students really enjoyed dancing to Indian beats.  


It was a warm sunny Sunday morning, perfect to celebrate this festival and welcome the spring. There were more than 150 students that participated in this event. The best part was that there were not only Indian students but also huge number of American and other international students that came out to celebrate this exciting festival.

Guest Blogger: 

Kavneet Baweja
Graduate Student – MBA Business Analytics
Graduate Student Coordinator, Multicultural and International Student Programs Office

Exhibit of Nations

Looking back at the spring semester, we would like to highlight one of the cultural events that our students coordinated to celebrate the diversity of the world.

On April 29, 2015 Hofstra International Students Club (H*INT) organized an extravaganza event “Exhibit of Nations.” The idea behind this event was to celebrate the international diversity that our international students from over 62 nations across the globe bring to Hofstra University.

Our international students from various nations actively participated in this event. There were different tables set up by the students exhibiting the culture of their respective nations. These tables had collection of many interesting things like flags, stamps, currency, photographs, traditional dresses, snacks, handmade things etc. The tables were then judged based on how well they displayed and explained their culture to the audience. The judge panel included Sonia Fernandes - Assistant Director from MISPO, Kavneet Baweja – Graduate Coordinator from MISPO and Athraja de Silva – President of H*INT and they decided to award Japan, Bangladesh and Costa Rica first, second and third prize respectively.
     

There were also various multinational dance performances, like Indian Bollywood dance by Hofstra Zeenat, African dance by Hofstra African Student Association and Ballet dance by Hofstra Ballroom. Not only this, but students also enjoyed delicacies of Asian and Hispanic cuisines offered for the dinner.

To sum up, it was a night of frolic fun and vibrant colors all around as Hofstra students really enjoyed the food, music and the cultural display of different nations all under one roof and at one place.

Guest Blogger:
Kavneet Baweja
Graduate Student - MBA Business Analytics
Graduate Student Coordinator, Multicultural and International Student Programs Office (MISPO)

Cherry Blossom Festival

On April 26, staff from the Multicultural and International Student Programs Office and over thirty Hofstra students attended the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, also known as Sakura Matsuri. The festival is an annual event that centers around celebrating Japanese culture and the rise of the spring season’s cherry blossoms.

This year, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens celebrated the 34th Sakura Matsuri. The festival was a two day event with over 60 scheduled performances, acts, and activities that showcased Japanese culture. Some of the performances included Taiko drumming, Kabuki Buyo Dance, a Japanese Standup comic and cosplay acts.

MISPO and Hofstra students (including the Hofstra Japanese club) went to the second day of the festival events. We arrived at noon and with the help of  the Brooklyn Botanic security staff we were able to bypass the long lines that were waiting to get inside of the gate. Once inside we were met with the wonderful sight of beautiful spring foliage and flowers, flowers that would normally go unseen in the city of New York.  Inside of the garden gates were ponds and multiple performance stages. We spent most of our time watching the main stage. On the main stage was Kabuki Buyo dances performed by the wonderful Dancejapan with Sachiyo Ito and a segment from Samurai Sword Soul. The sword performance incorporated theater with combat of a dangerous battle. The whole event was miraculous and the students really enjoyed their time at the festival.

This was the last event wrapping up our celebration of Asian/Pacific Islander month and our last heritage month program for the spring. Be on the lookout for upcoming cultural programs in the fall.

Guest Blogger,
Jason Spradley
Multicultural and International Student Programs.

Club Sports Roundup

Hofstra Club Baseball took on the University of Delaware at Wantagh Park on Saturday, May 2^nd and Sunday, May 3^rd and needed to sweep the series in order to qualify for the NCBA North Atlantic Regional Playoffs.  Back to back wins on Saturday kept the dream alive as Justin Cusano and Mike Ahrens impressed from the mound. The Pride took Game One 8-5 and shut out the Blue Hens 5-0 in Game Two. Sunday’s final game was a case of ‘win and in’ for Hofstra, but Delaware was up to the task, and managed to snatch a 15-5 victory, striking out Hofstra’s hopes of advancing. The Pride finished the season with a 9-6 record.

Hofstra Club Baseball stretching before their weekend tilt with the University of Delaware.

Hofstra Men’s Rugby Club enjoyed their Alumni Day on Saturday, May 2^nd. With Hofstra Music Fest getting underway next door, a large crowd came out to watch the Men’s Rugby Club alumni take on the current side, whose last minute try clinched a 29-24 victory in a very competitive contest.

Hofstra Men's Rugby Club huddling up!

Hofstra Billiards were back at Baldwin Billiards on Sunday, May 3^rd for another round of APA matches. Charlotte Wood continued her good form with another set of victories, and Nolan Whitehead, Liam Doogue, and Hammad Imran also secured wins for the Pride.

Hofstra’s 29 Club Sports are always looking for new members and welcome all experience levels.  If you would like to find out more information about joining one of our clubs, please visit hofstra.edu/recreation and click on the ‘Club Sports’ tab, or feel free to visit us at the Hofstra Fitness Center with any questions you may have!

 

Ruby Staplehurst, Guest Blogger
Graduate Assistant, Recreation and Intramural Sports

Club Sports Roundup

Hofstra Men’s Club Lacrosse won the New York Metro Conference Championship and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen with an emphatic 14-4 victory over Fordham on Wednesday, April 22^nd. A raucous Shuart Stadium set the scene for the squad's final conference fixture, in which Joseph Baker netted five goals. Martin Beer and Dylan Wills also registered multi-goal games, each notching two, while Ryan Cook, Sam Juris, Bodie Pate, Greg Stengel, and Dennis Costa took the tally to 14 with one goal a piece. Brad Griminger and Amit Nath both had assists. The team traveled to Rutgers University on Saturday, April 25^th, with the prospect of a win placing them in the Elite 8. Unfortunately, despite a hat-trick from Moner Mosa, and goals from Joe Baker, Ryan Cook, and Dylan Wills, Rutgers advanced with a 12-6 win, bringing the Pride’s exciting season to a end.

Hofstra Men’s Club Soccer had their second game of the season on Saturday, April 25^th, making the short trip to take on local rivals Stony Brook. Chibuzo Nwosu broke the deadlock and gave the Pride a 1-0 lead at halftime, but a second half surge from the opposition ended the match 4-1. Hofstra Women’s Club Soccer had better luck, and topped off a sunny Sunday morning with a 2-1 win over Adelphi on April 26^th.

Hofstra Women's Club Soccer after their 2-1 win over Adelphi.

Hofstra Club Baseball traveled down to Towson University on Saturday, April 25^th for a weekend series against the Tigers. The Pride fell short 12-8 in game one, but showed great resilience to turn their fortunes around, winning the next two games 10-9 and 7-2. Justin Cusano and Joe Zapata both impressed from the mound, each securing a complete game win. Nick Cavallino went 4-10 with a double, two RBIS, three runs, and a walk. Aaron Brown went 5-10 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs, four runs, a stolen base and two walks. Thanks to this latest victory, the club remains in the running for a spot in the North Atlantic Regional Playoffs.

With the 2014-2015 season coming to a close, Hofstra Quidditch took second in the Big Apple Quidditch Conference Tournament. The conference is made up of ten teams from the tri-state area, including NYU, Stony Brook, and New Haven. The team will next be in action on Saturday, May 9^th in the Mercenary Tournament on the Hofstra Intramural fields.

Hofstra Quidditch celebrates their 2nd place performance in the Big Apple Quidditch Conference Tournament.

Hofstra Women’s Rugby Club hosted the Gohring Tournament on Saturday, April 25^th, which included an Alumni team and LIU Brooklyn. The highlight of the day was the Pride's thrilling 17-14 victory over LIU Brooklyn. 

Hofstra Women's Rugby Club in action in the Gohring Tournament held on the Intramural Rugby Field.

Hofstra’s 29 Club Sports are always looking for new members and welcome all experience levels.  If you would like to find out more information about joining one of our clubs, please visit hofstra.edu/recreation and click on the ‘Club Sports’ tab, or feel free to visit us at the Hofstra Fitness Center with any questions you may have!

 

Ruby Staplehurst, Guest Blogger
Graduate Assistant, Recreation and Intramural Sports